CM Brown sponsored this ordinance which "amends CH 122: Public Property and adds a new section which prohibits the construction of new public buildings for purposes for which already existing vacant public buildings suitable"

"The bills sponsor believes that existing vacant publicly owned buildings are a valuable but underused asset..."

2/13/13 5:19 PMJACKSONVILLE, Fla. â€“ A joint investigation by Action News and WOKV uncovered the city of Jacksonville owns about 2,800 properties with a market value of around $1.5 billion.

The taxpayers of Jacksonville have a lot to be proud of because they own some top-notch property.

The stadium hosted a Super Bowl. A first-rate arena draws big time shows. And the Baseball Grounds of Jacksonville also gets rave reviews.

But taxpayers may not know they own some other properties that only can be described as "old and run down." It's a mixed bag of city-owned buildings. Some are vacant. The other property consists of unoccupied land. And then some of it is prime real estate sitting along the river.

â€œIt's hardworking taxpayer dollars that my job as mayor is to protect and do it right,â€ said Mayor Alvin Brown.

The mayor knows there is a potential boat load of revenue for the cash-strapped city tied up in all that real estate.

â€œWe're working like a laser and focused on our assets,â€ the mayor said.

And the city probably should be.

But the truth is Jacksonville really is in the dark when it comes to its real estate holdings.

2/13/13 5:19 PMJACKSONVILLE, Fla. â€“ A joint investigation by Action News and WOKV uncovered the city of Jacksonville owns about 2,800 properties with a market value of around $1.5 billion.

The taxpayers of Jacksonville have a lot to be proud of because they own some top-notch property.

The stadium hosted a Super Bowl. A first-rate arena draws big time shows. And the Baseball Grounds of Jacksonville also gets rave reviews.

But taxpayers may not know they own some other properties that only can be described as "old and run down." It's a mixed bag of city-owned buildings. Some are vacant. The other property consists of unoccupied land. And then some of it is prime real estate sitting along the river.

â€œIt's hardworking taxpayer dollars that my job as mayor is to protect and do it right,â€ said Mayor Alvin Brown.

The mayor knows there is a potential boat load of revenue for the cash-strapped city tied up in all that real estate.

â€œWe're working like a laser and focused on our assets,â€ the mayor said.

And the city probably should be.

But the truth is Jacksonville really is in the dark when it comes to its real estate holdings.

Jacksonville is so Lost and has an opportunity to FIND FIND right now for Public Access and Economic opportunity and that was highlighted at the 2/13/13 Jacksonville Waterways Commission meeting yesterday as a potential Downtown Revalation was discovered that Catherine St. May be a potentially platted piece of city property that is a city owned waterfront Public Access street end that dead ends into the Northbank Riverwalk and can now be a floating dock kayak launch that was the brainstorm of the chair of Waterways councilman Jim Love along with Kevin Kuzel as a Compromise to the misrepresented Shipyards Pier by OGC. It can still make the 2013 FIND grant application cycle by order of the city council or Mayor Brown.

Hey Mayor Brown! This spot is a Downtown Destination and not a pass through. Some of the captains with the Recreational Fishing Alliance have checked it out and think its great.